our thing. >> that is my gift from me to you. before you get down to a billion chicken wings this weekend, now you can do it the civilized hooter's approved way. this year you won't be just winging it. that's it for us. "early start" begins now. widespread havoc. a thousand-mile long storm system barrels east leaving a path of destruction in its wake. desperate hours in alabama. police in a tense standoff with a gunman believed to be holding a child. the new smartphone that could put blackberry back on the comeback trail. >> have you tried it? >> i have serious phone envy. >> i want one. i want to try it. i want to compare it to my iphone. >> we'll hook you up. >> that would be lovely. welcome to "early start." i'm john berman. >> i'm zoraida sambolin. it's january, 31st.

it's 5:00 a.m. in the east. let's get started. the next target is the east coast. the long line of violent and deadly storms moves further east now. tornadoes, strong winds and flooding are all threatening the south. all the way up into new england now. the front has already led to a staggering 400 reports of severe wind, and also 20 tornadoes over two days stretching from texas to pennsylvania. among the hardest-hit spots, georgia, about 60 miles north of atlanta. a news crew for wsb witnessed a dramatic tornado touchdown. >> we could see circulation in the clouds right here. it looks like a tornado right near downtown cartersville at this moment. going towards i-75. again, a tornado. >> some more on what that twister left behind in a moment. so one person died as did a man in tennessee who we now know is 47-year-old vernon hartsell.

he was killed when a tree fell on to a shed that he was inside. miguel marquez has more on the devastation and the cleanup. what can you tell us? >> good morning. we're not very far from where that man died. apparently a tree fell on a mobile home he was in. that's where he was killed. this is a storm that packed a 1,000 mile punch. >> we can see circulation in the clouds. >> reporter: a reporter from atlanta affiliate wsb caught one twister as it touched down. >> towards i-75. >> reporter: in its path, utter destruction. this is main street in adairsville, tornado tornado. you can see devastation on that side of the street. the trucks completely destroyed here. on this side, it was a normal day of work at this plant, they come here to make parts for tractors. complete devastation. 50 to 100 poem working here today. all of them fine.

across this entire area, trucks, everything, shredded. at the plant, justin karns and his fellow employees took refuge in the bathroom what did it sound like and feel like? >> walls shaking. everything shaking. like a pressure on my ears, real high-pitched whistling sound. just hurt my ears really. >> reporter: the 1,000 mile long storm set off tornadoes in six states from missouri to georgia. leaving massive damage and creating drastic temperature changes. in nashville, one man died when a tree fell on his home. >> it was a bad sight. tree fell, like, right on him. >> reporter: in memphis, torrential rain and massive flooding. bridges, underpasses inundated. in arkansas, a horse barn collapsed, all 11 horses okay. in indiana, downed trees and fire. lightning is suspected.

kentucky saw strong winds, flipping tractor trailers like toys. and wins so fierce in scott county, missouri, 48 train cars knocked right over. and across alabama, wind, rain and more misery. now, for as bad as it was across much of the country yesterday t could have been so much worse. the plant across the street from here just leveled 1678. 100 people in there. everybody escaped without a scratch. at the moment, they are just starting to get the lights on. about 1,000 people in total, we believe, are without check tr o electricity. but they're moving quickly to get everything back up and running. >> appreciate that. thank you. so will be more of the same today? fierce winds as we were driving in today it appears to be

hitting us hard now. we will go and get some answers about who will get this next. >> i thought it was gusty out towards lantd tatlanta, 35 mile hour, then i saw your guests at 57 miles per hour. our last tornado watch just expired on the outer banks of the carolinas. you are still seeing the showers in the new york area that doesn't mean the wacky weather is ending. we have a huge change today. that will be something maybe we're not looking forward to. it's that cold arctic air. it's back. look at this cold air diving down, down to the south again. ahead of this, this is the moisture. behind it, cold and dry air what does that mean for all of us as we go through the afternoon today? going back 24 hours, yesterday morning, easy to see where we were warming up. 19 degrees warmer in atlanta at this time. cold air was diving down to the south.

in between these two, you can see where the severe weather erupted thanks to the clash of the two air masses. as i take you forward, you can see the cold arctic air pushing in, effecting a big bulk of the country. 31 degrees in atlanta this morning. that's how much we cooled. we will be seeing temperatures continuing to dive down to the south. new york city will be in the 30s by 5:00 p.m. >> thanks. it is day three of a tense standoff in alabama where a gunman is holding a 6-year-old boy hostage in an underground bunker. police say the boy was dragged off the school burs tuesds tues afternoon after the gunman shot and killed the school bus driver. authorities with communicating with the suspect through a pvc tube. they also sent down crayons, a coloring book and medication for the 6-year-old boy. authorities are calling the driver a hero. they say charles poland's quick

thinking saved the lives of 21 children on that bus. george, everybody is worried about that little 6-year-old boy. >> absolutely. the police out here, the investigators, they're tight-lipped about their operation. but when they do speak, everybody listens. and this is what they're saying. first of all, they don't believe the young boy has been harmed in any way at this point. that's great news. as you mentioned, they were able to get the young boy a coloring book and crayons. two things he specifically asked for. but also more importantly they were able to get him the medication that he needs, these daily medications. we learned from a source that the 6-year-old boy suffers from asperger's syndrome and adhd, so very important they got him the medication, as this standoff moves into day three as people are waiting and this continues to drag out. >> what can you tell us about the suspect? there are some bizarre stories online about his behavior. >> well, when you talk to people

here, neighbors, they describe him as a very reclusive person. a person who, as one person said that i spoke with, believes in aliens. a paranoid person. in fact, jimmy davis, that's a neighbor who had a confrontation with jimmy dykes, he says back in december, dykes fired a pistol at him with his family in his pickup truck. it's the sort of situation where everybody is waiting to see what happens as this continues, now in day three. >> george, thank you very much for those details. >> scary situation. >> praying for that little boy. police in arizona are searching for the man, did they say is responsible for wednesday's deadly shooting at a phoenix law office. the suspect, 70-year-old arthur douglas harmon was attending a meeting to discuss some kind of litigation when he open fire. a 40-year-old man was killed and two others wounded.

harman took off in a kia opt ma, and then opened fire on a witness who tried to follow him. wednesday's senate hearing on guns opened with some powerful words from former arizona representative gabrielle giffords. it's been two years since giffords was shot in the head. she was there to urge congress to do something to stop gun violence. listen to her. >> you must act. be bold. be courageous. americans are counting on you. >> she was pretty bold and courageous there. giffords husband, mark kelly, broke the news of the phoenix shooting we told you about during the hearing on gun violence in washington, which also included the nra's way wayne lapierre. later on "early start," james johnson tells us why he joined the fight for tighter gun laws.

that's at 6:30 eastern. recent mass killings have put guns and gun control in the spotlight across the nation. the controversial issue pits two passionately believed arguments against each other, constitutionality and commonsense safety, but can there be a solution to america's gun problems? anderson cooper looks at both sides of the debate in "guns under fire" tonight at 8:00 eastern on c nshgcnn. we are a few hours away over a capitol hill showdown over the man who could be our next secretary of defense. plus the invasion of gnomes, and how they have people in one community taking sides. the great gnome showdown. [ mal] how do you make america's favorite recipes? just begin with america's favorite soups. bring out chicken broccoli alfredo. or best-ever meatloaf. go to campbellskitchen.com for recipes, plus a valuable coupon. campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do.

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welcome back to "early start." there could be serious tension on capitol hill. the chuck hagel showdown, if you

will confirmation hearings begin in the next few hours, and this is one of the most contentious picks that i can remember. chris lawrence is live at the pentagon this morning where chuck hagel hopes to be going to work soon. the question is will he? hi, chris. >> how are you? what our sources are telling us is that in just a couple hours, chuck hagel will testify that the militant group hezbollah is a terrorist organization, and that military options should be on the table when it comes to iran. not very controversial, unless you consider what he said in the past. chuck hagel's past is about to come roaring back at him. >> good morning. >> reporter: how he's voted. what he's said. >> he has insisted that the israelis negotiate with hamas, a terrorist organization. >> reporter: one of the first questions could be will you

support israel? recently hagel promised he would, saying his record has been distorted. but he'll have to explain what he said before his nomination. >> reference to a "jewish lobby" which i don't believe exists. >> reporter: he will be asked what he meant and why he refused to sign an order designating hezbollah as a terrorist organization. >> i cannot support a nominee for defense secretary who thinks we should be tougher on israel and more lenient on iran. >> reporter: which brings up another question, can you be tough on iran? senators are being barraged by advertising, questioning how effective hagel can be. >> hagel says military action is not a viable, feasible, responsible option. >> reporter: it's true, but the quote's from seven years ago.

recently hagel got in line with president obama's policy saying military options are on the table. >> he was one of two senators who voted against iranian sanctions saying we should negotiate with iran, not sanction them. >> reporter: hagel did support negotiations with iran with no preconditions. he said it's useless for any one nation, including the u.s., to impose sanctions alone. but he supported the multinational sanctions in place now. before the hearing, hagel had to fill out a questionnaire, basically outlining what he thinks about certain topics. he indicated he would work to try to extend benefits to gay and lesbian service members, to their spouses. and that he would continue to try to implement the women in combat policy, because ultimately he will make the ultimate call on whether some of those jobs can be open to women. >> chris, in your piece, we saw lindsey graham, john mccain, a bunch of people willing so say

bad things about chuck hagel who is jumping to his defense? >> the office of senator thad cochran from mississippi said he will support chuck hagel. that's right now. from everything we're hearing ultimately, he probably will have the votes to carry this. >> what is the reason the white house gives, the primary reasons for supporting chuck hagel? >> i think it's because, a, his positions align with the president's. when you go line by line, if you want to know what chuck hagel thinks, look at what president obama thinks and has said publicly. those positions almost line up word for word. >> and they may have some kind of personal chemistry from working together in the senate and traveling together. thank you. >> you're welcome. let's get you up to date with the top stories. >> happy birthday. >> thank you. >> i didn't know. happy birthday.

>> i brought you some terrible weather. >> 29. >> again. i love being 29. the massive 1,000 line of storms targeting the east coast now. tornadoes, strong winds and flooding threatening the south up to new england. the storm heavily damaging a hotel and a plant north of atlanta. workers were forced to take cover in a kitchen and bathroom. the storm killed a second man in tennessee. tensions rising in the middle east after a strike by israeli warplanes inside syria. the attack took out a truck convoy believed to be transporting missile parts for hezbollah. syria claims two workers were killed in an israeli air strike at a research facility. it's not if the accounts are the same or separate incidents. the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat come super bowl sunday, jack and jackie harbaugh will be feeling both at

the same time. they're the proud parents of the two opposing super bowl coaches. john harbaugh, and the san francisco coach jim harbaugh. yesterday mom and dad held court in new orleans. >> this is our -- my hero right here, jackie harbaugh. and one other thing we would like to say, you're going to ask you how we feel on this historic event. jackie, who has it better than us? nobody! >> nobody! the harbaughs say they won't be wearing either team's colors, they say both sons have told them just enjoy the experience. >> later today on "the situation room" i have a piece exploring what brotherhood really means. >> in this case? >> i looked through all the famous brothers in history to see if there is a lesson there. >> i heard the last time there was a match-up between the boys, the parents did not attend the

game. >> pretty competitive guys. >> thank you. it is 19 minutes after the hour, time for your early reads, your local news making national headlines . this is an amazing story. hackers invading the "new york times." hackers out of china have been attacking the times over the past four months, infiltrating their computer systems, stealing passwords. the timing of the attack, related or not, happens to coincide with the times investigative report that revealed that relatives of china's prime minister have accumulated billions of dollars from business deals. the times has finally succeeded in blocking them for now, but this story is crazy. it makes it sound like it's possible that the establishment in china is trying to break into the times. crazy stuff. >> the oakland tribune has a story about the gnomes turning up on utility poles everywhere. the 2,000 handpainted gnomes have become a local popular attraction but pg&e is not

happy. it is mounting a campaign to remove the portraits from its poles with the help of the mysterious artist who painted them. the artist will provide a map of all the locations to pg&e and the utility will carefully remove the portraits and make arrangements to give them away to whoever wants one. >> i'm sure the gnomes are doing great damage to the poles. what harm? protect the gnomes. so an old friend wants a new place in your life. we are talking about blackberry. but not the one you had five years ago. >> so cool. >> the brand new one. you're looking tat now in the hands of christine romans. >> the picture is amazing. all stations come over to mission a for a final go.

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get the blood tests. change your number. turn it up. androgel 1.62%. so i'd like to say we're minding your business, but what we're doing is playing with the new blackberry 10. before we get to the blackberry 10, we'll talk about stocks. u.s. stock futures are down after the commerce department said yesterday the economy shrank at the end of last year. also the fed said that economic growth has stalled. but stocks largely shrugged off that news closing down -- you back with us here? i'll keep going. the dow and s&p 500 are nearing all-time highs. so, the question, christine romans, is why? why are we at near all-time highs? >> almost the better answer is why not. europe has not fallen apart. the fed is still pumping this money into the system. jobs are slowly growing in the

country. so you have stocks here at these near record highs, not there yet, but near record highs. everyone is saying why are they doing so well? the biggest single reason is the fed. yesterday the federal reserve chief said they would continue to do that. basically for the foreseeable future. that's why the markets have been doing well. plus people are coming into the market now. it's a 5-year-old bull market, so it's a bull long in the tooth, but bull markets can still run. people are coming in, that new money is moving things higher. one thing that didn't go higher is the new company called blackberry. used to be called research in motion, now blackberry. she said she wanted to play with one. i got her one. >> i appreciate that. it has some interesting features. >> that's what everybody everyone is doing now. there's an interesting keyboard. i like how the keyboard works. how the camera works. i asked adrian covert from cnn money, is this a great phone? this is what he said. >> they needed a bigger product. this is a product that would

have been great -- fine a year ago it would have been amaze two years ago. but now the hardware and the features this phone is packing will probably be passed up by the competition in less than six months. >> wow. >> so he's a little bit pessimistic about whether this is the turnaround that r.i.m., now blackberry needs. people who are blackberry fanatics -- >> but this is not your traditional blackberry. >> a lot of the papers do have some positive reviews of this device. >> it's a fun to use thing, there are some features on it that are consumer friendly. >> i would love to use it, but she won't let me. >> it's kind of like instagram built in. >> blackberry hog. >> here you go. i'll share. in pro football playing hurt mas you a hero to the fans but

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1,000 miles of power. the huge storm system that ripped parts of the south now heads for the northeast. blame it on love. the man behind the manti te'o fake startling confession. >> and sink or swim, beyonce and the halftime show. someone is bound to ask will it

be live. welcome back. i'm zoraida sambolin. >> i'm john berman. it's january 31st, 31 minutes past the hour. we're talking about the weather that massive 1,000 mile long line of violent and deadly storms is on the move. it's now targeting the east coast. tornadoes, strong winds, flooding all threatening the south up to new england. the front has already led to a staggering 400 reports of severe wind and 20 tornados over two days stretching from texas to pennsylvania. the hardest hit area is in georgia, 60 miles north of atlanta. one person was killed there. the storm damaged a hotel and manufacturing plant. it was so violent that workers at the plant were forced to take cover in a kitchen and bathroom. miguel marquez is surveying the damage and cleanup. we see all kinds of debris behind you. have they made progress in

cleaning up? >> they have. there were all kinds of cars flipped. i-75 is not far from here. there were cars everywhere along this area. they were able to get all those cars off the road and get traffic up and going. that's the first thing that happened yesterday. this place was devastated. the person who died, died not far from here when a tree fell on their mobile home. same situation in tennessee, where somebody was inside a shed, the tree fell over, smashed into them and killed somebody there. at the moment what seems to be happening is the electricity. they're trying to get that back on. there are a lot of dark spots along the way. georgia power, the emergency management here in bartow county are saying about 1,000 people are out of electricity now. it's cold. it was 65 degrees yesterday in georgia. tonight it's in the 30s. it's a huge temperature

difference and that's what got the storms going. >> even working on the ground on this story, talking to people who witnessed the worst of it yesterday what are they saying? >> the most amazing stories that we heard are from the plant across the way from here. about 100 people at work there. they make parts for big tractors. a normal day. they were all getting to it when the storm sirens went off. they had to take refuge in the bathroom. one guy was a baptist minister, he said he prayed, it got louder. he prayed some more. they were very lucky, because the plant was absolutely devastated, flattened by this storm as it came through. >> pray and pray some more. miguel marquez in georgia for us, great to see you. >> when you look at those pictures, you are surprised more people weren't killed. this morning the northeast is bearing the brunt of this storm system.

what are you seeing, indra? >> the tail end of the system is exiting today. ahead of this line of storms, the winds are coming out of the south. now they're coming straight from canada. we'll start to see them come out of the north. with that, we'll be talking about flight delays. you guys talked about the wins you felt, so new york, chicago, atlanta are expecting flight delays today. see if you can reroute. it will be tough with those hubs effected. when you have that cold air coming out of canada, look at what happens. you combine that with the wind which has been strong in many places. minneapolis, negative 14, that's the windchill they are currently feeling. of course, enjoy your 55 degrees in new york. those temperatures will be dropping to the 30s by early evening. lake effect snow. northwest will wins over the warmer lakes means we will see

heavy snow from cleveland to erie. 10 to 12 inches of snow. if you head up towards syracuse, 8 to 10 inches of snow. really all this cool air, that's going to be the big story. the wind bringing in the cold air also the story as many of us are already feeling this morning. a lot of 55-mile-per-hour gusts, even 60-mile-per-hour gusts in your area as you go towards the evening hours. that's further north than you, but still strong wind. >> that's what we felt this morning. indra, thank you very much. >> i got people from boston tweeting 80 miles per hour. in just six weeks since a mass shooting killed 26 innocent people in newtown, emotions ran high there last night at a six-hour hearing on gun violence at newtown high school. hundreds gathered, including local officials and police officers and victim parents to make their voices heard. >> i don't want to be out-gunned in a situation, but i cannot walk or run away from it.

>> together we can turn this tragedy into the event that turned the tide that empowered us as individuals, a society and the world to choose love. >> though both sides of the gun control issue were represented last night, nearly all the newtown residents who spoke called for tougher gun control laws. obviously there are lots of emotions surrounding this complicated issue, but what can what should be done about america's gun violence? anderson cooper looks at both sides of the debate in "guns under fire" an "ac 360" town hall special tonight at 8:00 p.m. on cnn. it will be very, very good. 37 minutes past the hour. new jersey senator robert menendez is denying allegations that he traveled to the dominican republic on a friend's private plane to engage in sex with prostitutes. he issued the statement on wednesday after fbi agents searched the office of a doctor who made political donations to

menendez. the statement confirms the senator has flown several times on the plane, but that all the trips were paid for appropriately. massachusetts governor duval patrick has named william mo cowan to take over for john kerry. kerry gave quite an emotional good-bye in a speech on the senate floor. >> the privilege of being here is in being able to listen to your constituents. it is the people and their voices, much more than the marble buildings and the institutions they house that determine whether or not our democracy works. >> so later today hillary clinton will deliver her final speech as secretary of state at around 2:00 p.m. eastern. she will talk about american leadership. >> john kerry's speech was emotional and very long. he went on for about 50 minutes

yesterday. 38 minutes after the hour. maybe she's been too busy getting ready for her super bowl halftime show, but superstar beyonce has not had time to speak much to the media since her inaugural lip synch controversy, until now. she's having a presser today at 3:00 local time in new orleans, we can only assume it will be her live voice at this press conference. >> terrible. playing when you're hurt has long been a part of the game in football, even at the risk of severe injury. so coming up a closer look at the gladiator mentality of the gridiron, and why players are willing to pay this incredibly steep price. plus the man at the heart of the manti te'o fake girlfriend hoke, he's breaking his silence in a pretty big way. thor gets great rewards for his small business! your boa! [ garth ] thor's small business earns double miles on every purchase, every day!

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. welcome back. as researchers learn more about football brain injuries there are new ethical questions surrounding the game. we look at the gladiator mentality that could come back to haunt pro football players later in life. >> reporter: fast-paced action and bone-crushing hits t makes football appealing to fans but also harmful to players. did you ever witness a guy who clearly something wasn't right but kept playing? >> i've seen that on occasion, where players made a big hit, gets up, stumbling, trying to find where to line up. >> reporter: dr. cheh garten is a former nfl team doctor, he says players have a higher form of arousal that allows them to play through pain. >> it is scrutinized by the media, the fans, everyone

watching their performance. >> go out with reckless abandon and you play the game. >> reporter: garrison hearst was a running back with the san francisco 49ers, doctors said he would never play again after a debilitating ankle injury. he was back on the field after two years of rehab. this gladiator mentality, is that something within or something that you learn? >> i think it's within, but also learned as you play. first thing you learn in football, if it's not broke, you can still go. >> reporter: apply that mind set to head trauma, there's a potential for life-altering injuries. >> after seeing what some of these men have been through and their families have been through does that scare you? >> when they take their own life, absolutely. >> reporter: crumpler has had a few concussions on record, but admit there's were probably more. >> i had missed four games due to injury, and probably should

have missed twice that, maybe more. >> i would do it all over again. >> reporter: why? >> i loved every minute of it. >> reporter: that same sentiment is echoed by most nfl players, yet they admit change is needed. >> you grow up, teaching kids to knock the crap out of each other, as they get older, that's all they will do. if you teach them the proper way to tackle, they could be the change the game needs. >> a lot of parents and kids having these discussions right now. >> i say no football. >> it's a great sport. >> it is a great sport, but it could be deadly. how do you weigh that as a parent? >> these are the discussions people are having now all the way up to the president. other football news, the man believed to be behind the manti te'o girlfriend hoax said he did it because he fell in love -- >> can you believe this? >> can the notre dame football star. ronaiah tuiasosopo appears in a two-part interview that will air

today and tomorrow on "the dr. phil show." he said he was the voice of the fake girlfriend, and tells why he put an end to the telephone relationship. >> i wanted to end it because after everything i had gone through, i finally realized that i just had to move on with my life, had to get, you know, my -- me, ronaiah, i had to start living and let this go. if it really was his voice. that's asounding. >> tuiasosopo tells dr. phil he is confused, his words, about his sexuality. >> i just -- >> you're speechless. >> i am. i was shocked when i was reading everything that he said. you know, the fact that this went on as long as it did. how do you do that to somebody and not feel incredible amount of guilt? >> how do you do it? how do you fall for it? how? >> that's a big one. the u.s. navy resorting to drastic measures to recover a

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. welcome back. it is 50 minutes past the hour. let's get you up to date with the top stories. that massive 1,000 mile long line of massive storms is moving through the east coast. tornadoes, strong winds and flooding threatening the south up to new england. one man was killed in georgia. the storm heavily damaging a motel and a manufacturing plant north of atlanta. it was so violent workers in the plant were forced to take cover in a kitchen and bathroom. a second man was killed in

tennessee. and this man here is behind a string of sexual assaults near chico, california. lonnie scott, worked as a physician assistant and used zip ties during the attacks. he's a father of four, he pleaded not guilty yesterday to the charges of rape, assault with intent to rape and two counts of kidnapping. he was a physician's assistant. if found guilty on all counts, he faces 32 years to life in prison. a federal immigration judge in boston has scheduled a new deportation hearing granted last year to president obama's uncle. he came to the u.s. from kenya when he was in high school. he was first ordered deported in 1992 after he failed to renew an application to stay in the united states. and patty andrews, the last surviving member of the world famous andrew sisters has died. she was the lead singer of the

trio that was music to the ears of gis. ♪ world war ii, these were the sounds of world war ii. the andrews sisters sold more than 80 million records. patty andrews was 94. a u.s. navy minesweeper that ran aground on a reef two weeks ago will soon be cut into pieces, dismantling the "uss guardian" is the only way to remove the ship without damaging the reef. emotions will be running high before the kickoff of super bowl xlvii sunday. 27 members of the chorus of sandy hook elementary school will take part in the pregame show. they will sing "america the beautiful."

the performance will be broadcast live on cbs. a woman and her dog had to be rescued after she and her dog fell over a cliff. the woman fell 50 feet down after she tried to save the pup. she had to climb down to the beach below. she was picked up and taken to the hospital. we don't know if she's injured. as for her dog, fire fighters used a special harness to bring up the pup. >> nice of them to bring that dog up. thank you, christine romans, birthday girl. is there as much money on alicia and beyonce as there is on the harbaugh brothers? e sauc. and cheese fold it all up and boom! i just made an unbeatable unsloppy joe pillsbury grands biscuits. let the making begin. we don't let frequent heartburn come between us and what we love. so if you're one of them people who gets heartburn and then treats day after day... block the acid with prilosec otc and don't get heartburn in the first place!

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welcome back to "early start." 56 minutes past the hour. i'm zoraida sambolin, along with mr. john berman. we're looking at the top cnn trends on the web this morning. >> the only safe bet is that a harbaugh is going to win. our corporate cousin bleacher report is looking at some of the wacky proposition bets that come up during the super bowl every year. like this one. which color will beyonce's hair be? will it be curly, crimped or straight? what color will the gator aide be dumped on the coach? vegas says red is a 13-2 favorite. and which harbaugh will be shown first during the game? this is another good one. a lot to of people are betting it could be a split screen. a good way to lose a lot of money. jump in now. little guy, huge voice, 4'9" matias fernandez who says he was bullied his whole life brought mariah carey to tears last night on "american idol" with his story and his overpowering voice.

>> first question, is there a height limit on the show? >> the only limit there is, there's got to be talent. ♪ i was born ♪ by the river ♪ in the little tent ♪ like the river i've been running ever since ♪ >> you hit me in the heart. >> i love you guys. this is crazy. >> you brought me to tears, which i'm holding back currently. and i want you to know that you can sing anything for me any day of the week. >> oh, my gosh. >> look at you, getting emotional. >> the guy can sing. >> matias was also featured on "the glee" project. >> good for him. >> that's what i'm thinking. >> conan o'brien, jimmy fallon pregaming for the big game.

>> the head coach for the super bowl are two brothers, jim and john harbaugh. that's the big story, right? their mom promises whatever the outcome, she plans on calling the loser after the game and telling him he's adopted. that's a nice mom. hedging herberts. check this out, advertising for the super bowl is more expensive than ever. a 30-second spot, guess? $4 million. some companies are trying to save money. they are having commercials not quite as long. check out this one for taco bell. >> taco bell! >> it's smart, gets the point across. it gets the point across. 1.5 million for that. $1.5 million. >> can we see that again? >> that was awesome. "early start" continues right now. it's widespread havoc. a 1,000 mile long storm system

barrels east, leaving a path of destruction in its wake. desperate hours. police in a tense standoff with a gunman believed to be holding a child. drawn. senators ready to grill chuck haguel with his confirmation hearing set to start in just a couple of hours. it is thursday, january 31st. 6:00 a.m. in the east and we are talking the weather this morning because it is crazy. next target, the east coast. the 1,000-mile-long line of violence and deadly storms moves further east, hit us this morning. tornados, strong winds, flooding, all threatening the south up to new england. the flood has led to a staggering 400 reports of severe wind and 20 tornados over two days stretching from texas to pennsylvania. among the hardest-hit spots, adairsville, georgia, which is about 60 miles north of atlanta. one person died there, as did a man in tennessee.

miguel marquez has more on the devastation and cleanup in adairsville. >> reporter: good morning, john. we are not far from where that man died yesterday. it was a tree that fell onto a mobile home but it could have been a heck of a lot worse in this town, this storm packing a thousand-mile punch. >> you see circulation in the clouds. >> reporter: a reporter from atlanta affiliate wsb caught one twister as it touched down. >> slashing toward i-75. >> reporter: in its path, utter destruction. >> this is main street in adairsville, georgia. this is exactly where that tornado hit. you can see devastation on that side of the street. the trucks completely destroyed here. and on this side was a normal day of work here at the plant. they come here to make parts for tractors. complete devastation. 50 to 100 people working here today, all of them fine. across this entire area, trucks, everything, shredded. >> reporter: at the plant,

justin carnes and his fellow employees took refuge in the bathroom. >> what did it sound like, what did it feel like? >> walls shaking, everything was shaking. there was like a pressure on my ears, real high-pitched whistling sound. it just hurt my ears really. >> reporter: the thousand-mile-long storm set off tornados in six states, from missouri to georgia, leaving massive damage and creating drastic temperature changes. in nashville, one man died when a tree fell on his home. >> it was a bad sight. the tree fell like right on him. >> reporter: in memphis, torrential rain and massive flooding. bridges, underpasses inundated. in monticello, arkansas, a horse barn collapsed. all 11 horses, a-okay. in indiana, downed trees and fire. lightning is suspected. kentucky saw strong winds, flipping tractor-trailers like toys. and winds so fierce in scott

county, missouri, 48 train cars knocked right over. across alabama, wind, rain and more misery. now, i can tell you what's happening here right now is a massive temperature change as well. it was in the 60s yesterday. it's down into the 30s right now. it is absolutely freezing out here. a problem for a lot of people across georgia, at least. georgia power is saying about 10,000 people are without power across the entire state. in this area we believe there's 1,000, perhaps a little more than that, but crews are on it right now, they are getting the power back up and running in this area so hopefully before long things will start to get back to normal. back to you guys. >> miguel marquez in georgia right now. so much damage right behind you. thanks, miguel. will it be more of the same today? we have some answers. >> we can already tell, yes, the weather is following that small pool of air that continues to

dive down toward the south. we saw that from indiana all the way to louisiana and we're seeing it just kick out of the northeast. we no longer have severe watches and warnings as far as obviously tornados and strong winds. however, the strong winds we're seeing advisories as you see those gusts. we're seeing gusts as high as 45 miles per hour out towards new york city. upper new york, gusts as high as 65. cold pool of air still remains the story. we'll talk about these temperatures driving. all of our majorubs will have a lot of delays so keep that in mind. there's that cold pool of air. look at these temperature changes. we're warming ahead of that line of storms and now that we're behind the line of storms look at this cold pool. temperatures dropping as much as 30 degrees below from yesterday. >> all right, thank you. it is now day three of a tense standoff in alabama where a gunman is holding a 6-year-old boy hostage in an underground bunker.

the boy was dragged off his school bus tuesday afternoon in midland city after the gunman shot and killed the bus driver. authorities are communicating with the suspect through a pvc tube. they also sent down prescription medicine, crayons and coloring books for the 6-year-old hostage. school officials are calling the bus driver a hero. they say his quick thinking saved the lives of 21 children on his bus. george howell is live in midland city this morning. george, this really is a terrifying story. >> reporter: john, you know, everybody out here, everybody is worried about this 6-year-old boy. this is the third day that he's been in that bunker, so any time the police, these investigators speak about it, they give us updates, everybody out here listens. the latest update is they don't believe that that young boy has been harmed in any way. that is the best news that we've heard so far as this continues to drag on. they were able to give the boy a coloring book and crayons. these are two things that he specifically asked for. but more importantly, john, they

were able to get him the medications that he needs. he needs daily medications. i learned from a source that he suffers from asperger syndrome and adhd. so very important he got those medications. he's been in touch with the family. every hour that passes, these are desperate times for them. >> george, there are so many tales and stories flying around everywhere about the suspected gunman. what do we know? >> reporter: well, when you talk to people out here, john, they all describe him as a very reclusive person, as a paranoid person, as someone who believed in alien abductions and just a person that people avoid. take a listen to what two people out here had to say. >> he had two weapons that he always carried with him. he always would have a rifle sitting near him and a shovel. he almost decapitated one of my

dogs with his shovel. he would -- i work late. i would come home at almost midnight and he would be patrolling his fence line with his rifle and a flashlight. and he would shoot at anything that moved. >> reporter: the other person in that shot, he sold dikes the property and said that he would just avoid him, wanted nothing to do with him, because again, john, he was -- according to people out here, just a very reclusive person and downright mean when people tell you about him. >> all right, thanks. george howell in midland city, alabama, where this story continues to develop this morning. coming up next hour we'll hear from alabama state representative steve clouse. he's been spending time with the family of the 6-year-old being held hostage in that underground bunker. police are searching for a 70-year-old man they say is responsible for a deadly shooting in phoenix. the suspect, arthur douglas

harmon was appear tending a meeting at a law office when he allegedly opened fire. a 48-year-old man was killed, two others were wounded in that attack. harmon took off in a 2013 kia optima and he then opened fire on a witness who tried to follow him. a senate hearing on guns opened with pretty powerful words from former arizona representative gabrielle giffords. it was two years since giffords was shot in the head at a political event in tucson. she was there yesterday to urge congress to do something about gun violence. let's listen. >> you must act. be bold, be courageous. americans counting on you. >> her words so powerful. giffords' husband, mark kelly, actually broke the news of the phoenix shooting we just told you about during the hearing on gun violence in washington which also did include the nra's wayne

la pierre. james johnson of the baltimore county police department tells us why he's joined the fight for tighter gun laws. that's at 6:30 eastern. anderson cooper hosts a town hall on the topic of gun control with today's leading voices on the debate. "anderson cooper 360 town hall guns under fire" will air at 8:00 p.m. eastern time right here on cnn. let's switch gears. there may be only two people hoping the super bowl ends in a tie, right? jack and jackie harbaugh are the proud parents of two super bowl head coaches, the baltimore ravens john harbaugh and san francisco 49ers jim harbaugh. yesterday mom and dad took their turn in the spotlight. >> this is my hero right here, jackie sapiti harbaugh. and one other thing we like to say. you'll ask us how we feel on

this historic event. jackie, who has it better than us? nobody! >> they have been married a million years, two kids, just in love. mr. and mrs. harbaugh won't be wearing either team's colors on sunday. they said it's going to be neutral and both sons have told them to just enjoy the experience. really? >> you know, he was a former college football coach, and you can tell. he's got that sort of enthusiasm right there. >> it's fantastic. >> i wonder who they like best. >> i want a camera on them during the game. you know they have their favorites but they're not going to say. >> we'll get to the bottom of that story. we're just hours away from a capitol hill showdown over the man who could be our next secretary of defense. we'll go live to the pentagon coming up. delicious. but say i press a few out flat... add some beef sloppy joe sauce... and cheese fold it all up and boom! i just made an unbeatable unsloppy joe pillsbury grands biscuits. let the making begin.

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welcome back. 13 minutes past the hour. in just a few hours, president obama's choice to run the pentagon, chuck hagel, will face tough questions when his confirmation hearing begins. critics have called hagel soft on iran and not supportive enough of israel. the opposition to hagel's opposition includes his former close friend and senate colleague john mccain. chris lawrence is live at the pentagon. so what can mr. hagel expect? what kind of a fight? >> reporter: it's going to be

some tough questions. this thing has been run almost like a political campaign with those who oppose hagel taking out ads against him, his supporters raising money to defend him. but he's got an office here in the pentagon that has been buzzing for weeks. this office is dedicated to just prepping him for this hearing. so he's got a pretty good idea of what's coming. chuck hagel's past is about to come roaring back at him. >> good morning, guys. how are you? >> reporter: how he's voted, what he's said. >> he has insisted that the israelis negotiate with hamas, a terrorist organization. >> reporter: so one of the first questions could be will you support israel? recently hagel promised he would, unequivocally saying his record has been distorted. but he'll have to explain what he said before his nomination. >> i reference to a quote, jewish lobby, which i don't believe exists. >> reporter: senators will demand to know what hagelment

a -- hagelme meant. >> i cannot support a nominee who thinks we should be tougher on israel and more lenient on iran. >> reporter: which brings up another question, can you be tough on iran? senators of being barraged by advertising questioning how credible hagel can be. >> and while president obama says all options are on the table for preventing a nuclear iran, hagel says military action is not a viable, feasible reaction. >> reporter: it's true, but the quote is from seven years ago. recently hagel got in line with president obama's policy saying military options are on the table. >> he was one of two senators who voted against iranian sanctions saying we should negotiate directly with iran, not sanction them. >> reporter: hagel did support negotiations with iran with no preconditions. he said it's useless for any one nation, including the u.s., to

impose sanctions alone. but he supported the multi-national sanctions in place now. one thing that hasn't been talked about all that much is that hagel supported the don't ask, don't tell policy but the word we're getting from sources now is that he will support extending some of the health and other benefits to the spouses of gay and lesbian service members. >> that's been a big issue. we know that he's had a lot of closed door meetings trying to get some support. we know that president obama wants him in this position. who else is rallying to his defense? >> reporter: right now only one republican has publicly come out and said, hey, i'm going to support him. it's a republican senator from mississippi, but hagel has met with 60 senators. so he's sort of laid the groundwork and i think from what we're hearing, ultimately he's going to get the votes to move this through. >> all right, chris lawrence live at the pentagon for us, thank you very much. about 16 minutes after the hour right now. i want to bring you up to speed on all the morning's top

stories. here's christine romans with that. a massive 1,000-mile-long line of massive and deadly storms targetsing the east coast. tornados, strong winds and flooding all threatening the south all the way up into new england. the damage is extensive. this is video from georgia, alabama, tennessee, kentucky. the storm killed two men, one in georgia, another in tennessee. look at this epic firefight. an eight-alarm fire. you don't say that very often. an eight-alarm fire at a food processing plant in burlington, wisconsin. firefighters from four counties are on the scene. they stayed there overnight. 80 people had to be evacuated from the area. all plant workers got out safely, thankfully. the mayor says there are concerns about ammonia leaks. we don't know yet what caused that huge blaze. just days before super bowl xlvii, 49ers defensive back chris culver is making headlines not for his athletic ability but his anti-gay comments. he told an interviewer gay players aren't welcome on his

fe team or in the nfl. the team issued this response. the san francisco 49ers reject the comments that were made yesterday and have addressed the matter with chris. there is no place for discrimination within our organization at any level. we have and always will support the lgbt community. culliver apologized last night in a statement. as business travel picks up and flights get more crowded, there will be fewer places for you to cram your carry-on, although i do a fantastic job at it. >> christine romans has some tips to help you jump the line and find overhead bin space. i think this is one of the most important things ever. there's nothing more important than overhead bin space. >> have you got a little money because you can buy your way to the front of the line. a survey out from frequent business traveler.com says business travelers don't list security checkpoint delays as a top dplant. no, it's the insufficient space for carry-on bags. that took the top spot. i hate when people take the space above my seat and then go sit someplace else. that drives me nuts.

if this is a problem for you, here's how you get you and your bag to the front of the line and you're going to pay for it. southwest airlines has a new boarding option to help you get your bag on first. $40. you can purchase an early boarding positions at the gate. united airlines offers premiere access check-in which lets you go right to the front of the security line. and the line at the gate. that starts at $9 each way. delta has priority boarding that helps you avoid the crowds that also costs $9. jetblue offers a program, even more space is what it's called which gets you early boarding and a roomier seat. the cost varies, depending on where you're flying. so now you've got some options for getting some space if that is your number one priority. like everything in the airlines, the a la carte menu is here to stay. >> that's something you should get. >> i like to strategize for like an hour when traveling to make sure i get the overhead bin space. >> you strategize, seriously? >> traveling with the kids.

>> you get boarded early. >> you use the kids. that's what kids are good for. the number one reason to have kids. get on the plane first, i'm just saying. there are other reasons too but that's a good one. >>. when you're the second richest man in the world and the richest man in america, your opinion counts. so coming up i go one on one with bill gates and he had some interesting things to tell me about immigration reform and what's happening in washington right now, about skilled workers in this country. this happy couple used capital one venture miles for their "destination wedding." double miles you can "actually" use. but with those single mile travel cards... [ bridesmaid ] blacked out... but i'm a bridesmaid. oh! "x" marks the spot she'll never sit. but i bought a dress! a toast... ...to the capital one venture card.

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welcome back to "early start." 23 minutes past the hour. we are minding your business this morning. u.s. stock futures are mixed after the commerce department said yesterday that the economy shrank at the end of last year and also yesterday the fed said that economic growth has stalled. >> really surprising news but stocks largely shrugged it all off closing down just a tiny bit. the dow and s&p are nearing all-time highs so, christine, the question is why. >> and futures are mixed this morning and here are these cross currents. you've got the fed and commerce department saying the economy actually stalled, actually shrank the end of last year. i can show you what that looks like. it's the first time the economy has gotten smaller since 2009. that's not good. what i'm showing you there is not good. but you have stocks so close to record highs. how can that be? well, this is a bull market that's now five years old in stocks. i want to show you the stages of a bull market.

this is from a long-time watcher of markets. the first is reluctance, skaul takes, acceptance and exuberance. much like a new boyfriend or girlfriend. but that's what this bull market is. >> your poor husband. >> i'm telling you, at the end of it how much more will it go? investors are coming in with a lot of optimism this will be a good year. housing is coming up, the job market is improving, so you've got people coming into the bull market even though it is five years old. i want to talk a little bit about bill gates, america's richest man. i sat down with him yesterday, we talked about a lot of things. his charity, his foundation has given away $26 billion over 18 years. we talked a little about education, what they have done around the world but i asked him about the debate in washington about immigration reform. he is more confident now than he has been in years that you will fix immigration reform and he specifically is interested in high-skilled tech workers being allowed to stay in this country. here's a little bit of what he said. >> i'd love to see us solve

illegal immigration, a tougher problem. the high talent immigration has kind of been held hostage to that broader problem. >> interesting, held hostage to that broader problem. you've heard so much talk about illegal immigration. he's saying that companies and the economy desperately needs a pathway for people who come here and study to be able to stay here and start businesses. he says it's critical to the economy. >> what's the one thing we need to know about our money besides the fact that it's your birthday. >> a job. a job is still the key to your personal recovery and we'll find out whether that's expecting to improve. we're expecting 180,000 jobs created in january, and unemployment falling slightly to 7.7%. all of this that i've just told you, the most important thing is still a job, whether you have one, and that's going to be the key to a recovery in this year. >> i think everybody would say amen to that. christine, thank you. 26 minutes after the hour right now. so we know the game will be live. but what about the halftime

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the man behind the manti te'o fake girlfriend hoax makes a tv confession. it's interesting. >> if you missed it, you want to stay tuned for that. >> welcome back to "early start." >> nice to have you with us. it is thursday, january 31st. 30 minutes past the hour here. a 1,000-mile-long storm system barrelled through the eastern half of the country. did you feel it? probably the hardest-hit spot was adairsville, georgia, about 60 miles north of atlanta of the one person was killed there. that massive storm heavily damage eldd a motel and a manufacturing plant. it was so violent workers in the plant were forced to take cover in the kitchen and the bathroom. miguel marquez is surveying all of the damage and the cleanup that is happening there. miguel, how is it going? >> reporter: it seems to be going pretty well, given the extent of the damage here. the gentleman who was killed here was killed in a trailer home when a tree crashed down on it. another person in similar

circumstances in tennessee was killed when they were in a shed and a tree came down and killed them there as well. but despite those two incidents and certainly here in adairsville, it is amazing that not more people weren't injured or killed. at the plant which is just across the street where where we are that plant was absolutely leveled. there were 100 people in there, between 50 and 100 people in there when that storm came barreling through. they took refuge in a bathroom and a kitchen and were able to survive. how they did it, i don't know. one of the guys we talked to said when he came out to the bathroom to go to the break room, the break room was just gone, it was clear sky out. right now power crews are here from georgia power. they're trying to restore power throughout the area here. probably more than a thousand people in this area are without power across georgia about 10,000 people. so it's widespread. places like where we are right now were hit very hard, but you look just beyond where i am,

there was a house there that is damaged but not as bad as this place that was -- that we're standing right in front of. this, by the way, was a rental unit that had just rented and apparently there was nobody in it, so fortunately everything was fine there. but it could have been much, much worse here in adairsville. back to you guys. >> as we've been watching all the pictures you've been showing us and behind you looks like a complete disaster area. are folks getting help now with the cleanup effort? >> reporter: the cleanup has begun. the biggest thing to clean up were the cars, the number of cars that had been tossed around the roads here. those they have been able to get off the roads. you know, there was one person in tennessee who was particularly pleased to be okay. her home was destroyed but she was able to save one of her family members. >> it was just the worst sound i've ever heard in my life. that's nothing compared to the life of this child here. that's nothing compared to that.

>> reporter: now, the other thing that we can tell you about what's happening here today, and i think you guys will experience this going into today, is the cold. it was 65 degrees here in atlanta, in the atlanta area yesterday. it's now in the 30s and the windchill has it down into the 20s, so it is bitterly cold out here at the moment. back to you guys. >> insult to injury, i would say. but a lot of folks lucky to be alive this morning. again, thank you very much. appreciate it. so will the weather be as extreme today? some folks in chicago are telling me the same thing. indra petersons is here with some more of that. >> i think we all know the story here, cold, cold and more cold, unfortunately. the good news, of course that line of storms finally seeing the back edge of that, making its way out. the bad news, as we know, more of this cold, arctic air spreading even now all the way into the southeast. so this cold, arctic air will really bring that big change out there. when you have that change of warm air to cold air, you'll

also start to see some wind, so today we're going to be talking about delays at the airport and not just one. take a look at these major hubs affected today. it's going to be another tough day for travel out there. let's talk about those temperature changes. yesterday morning felt so good. temperatures were quickly warming ahead of the cold front. behind it they were already feeling that chill. dallas went down 27 degrees yesterday. now watch this cold air spread really from the dakotas all the way again down to the southeast. look at these temperature changes, down about 32 degrees from yesterday morning and it's not going to stop there. >> all right, rainindra peterso thank you very much. president obama admitting it's been difficult to drum up support for gun control on the other side of the aisle. >> my suspicion is we're seeing more bipartisan discussion on the immigration issue than on the gun issue. i'm actually optimistic that we can get both done. both will end up generating some opposition and some strong opposition. there will be passions on both

sides. >> the president's remarks came after the senate judiciary committee held a contentious hearing on gun violence that began with a statement from gabrielle giffords, the former arizona congresswoman who was nearly killed by an assassin's bullet. she told the committee that gun violence is simply claiming too many american lives. >> you must act. be bold. be courageous. americans are counting on you. >> giffords' husband, mark kelly, also testified. so did nra head juan wayne la p and also the chief of baltimore county, the chairman of the national law enforcement partnership to prevent gun violence. he joins us right now. chief, you are really on the front lines of this gun debate so i want to ask you, if you could get one thing, change one thing when it comes to guns and gun violence, what's the one measure you would choose?

>> well, it's definitely going to be a universal background check. i think most in law enforcement would agree that a universal background check certainly would make it more difficult for people who are trying to get weapons, keep them out of their hands. in fact from 1994 to 2009, nearly two million prohibited purchases were stopped. so we know this is going to work. obviously increasing penalties for those who try to straw purchase for someone else, i really think this will have a tremendous impact. >> so wayne la pierre of the nra doesn't agree with you. at the hearing yesterday he said that criminals will never submit to these back groundiground che. let's listen to what he said. >> when it comes to background checks, let's be honest. background checks will never be universal because criminals will never submit to them. >> your response? >> well, certainly i respect mr. la pierre's position on this issue. he has a right like all americans to take a position on

this matter. but i disagree with him. most law enforcement executives across the nation and the individuals i represent in the law enforcement partnership to prevent gun violence, we disagree with that -- with him. >> mr. la pierre also talks about the significance of guns and why americans need guns. something he said brought up something from you yesterday that caused a moment of tension in the hearing. i want to listen to him when he talked about why americans need their guns. let's listen. >> i also think, though, that what people all over the country fear today is being abandoned by their government. if a tornado hits, if a hurricane hits, if a riot occurs, that they're going to be out there alone and the only way they're going to protect themself in the cold and the dark when they're vulnerable is with a firearm. >> now, when asked about this, you called this creepy. what did you mean? >> well, what you didn't play, though, was the introduction by

the senator where he talked about people assembling weapons, i believe, to prevent some police action against them. you know, certainly i think there's concerns about stockpiling weapons. i strongly believe law enforcement across this nation will be there and we have been there in natural, man made disaster where public safety needed to take a role. >> police chief james johnson from baltimore county, maryland. as we said, you are in the middle of this entire gun discussion. thank you for being a part of it and thanks for being here this morning. appreciate it. >> thank you, sir. >> so what can and should be done about gun violence in america? anderson cooper looks at both sides of the gun debate in "guns under fire." this is an ac 360 town hall special tonight at 8:00 p.m. right here on cnn. taking a look at the top trends on cnn.com. the man behind the manti te'o girlfriend hoax is going to spill the beans with dr. phil. >> sure is.

ronaiah tuiasosopo appears in a two-part entinterview that airs today and tomorrow. tuiasosopo claims he was the voice of te'o's fake girlfriend. he says he fell deeply in love with the notre dame football star and explains why he put an end to their telephone relationship. >> i wanted to end it because after everything i had gone through, i finally realized that i just had to move on with my life and had to get, you know, my -- me, ronaiah, i had to just start living and let this go. >> let's say it together. tuiasosopo. he claims -- he tells dr. phil that he is confused about his sexuality. >> all right, so maybe she's been too busy getting ready for his super bowl halftime show, but superstar beyonce hasn't had much time to speak to the media since her now infamous inaugural

lip syncing debacle. here she is as a sexy referee. >> this is not lip-synching in any way. >> she was promoting her halftime performance at 3:00 eastern time in new orleans. so finally we hear from beyonce. we'll see if she talks about that little misstep. after seven seasons, "30 rock" will air its final episode tonight on nbc. some spoiler photos and clips have been posted online and fans are buzzing about it on social media. it is one of the most brilliant network comedies and casts ever. >> a lot of funny people involved with that show. so it's hurtling into orbit as we speak at this very moment. coming up, the story behind nasa's latest rocket launch. also ahead, how one young woman's shooting death in chicago has radiated all the way to washington and actually beyond there as well.

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welcome back, everyone. a lot going on this morning. soledad o'brien joins us with a look ahead. >> we're going to continue to talk about this standoff that's happening in alabama. a little boy with asperger syndrome has been held hostage since tuesday. we're live with the latest. also hear from a state lawmaker who knows the family of that little boy. also facing tough questions, the confirmation hearings begin on capitol hill in chuck hagel's fight to become defense secretary. we'll take a look at what we can expect and what he should expect as well. and then have you seen this viral video of kid president?

have you seen this? oh, my god, i love this boy. he has the funniest laugh. robbie novak will join us to talk about his videos which have gone viral. >> i'll have to check it out. i haven't. >> oh, my gosh. check it out. he's so cute. it is 46 minutes past the hour, let's get you up to date on the morning's top stories. that massive 1,000-mile-long line of violent and deadly storms has moved through the east coast. the damage extensive. take a look at your screen. it's video from georgia, alabama, tennessee and kentucky. the storm killed two men, one in georgia, another one in tennessee. new jersey senator robert menendez is denying allegations that he traveled to the dominican republic on a friend's private plane to have sex with prostitutes. menendez's office issued a statement after agents searched the west palm beach office of a man who has made political donations to menendez.

the senator has flown several times on his plane but claims all the trips were paid for and reported appropriately and did not include any visits to prostitutes. what is cooler than a nighttime launch? a new nasa communications satellite blasted off from cape canavarel, florida. look at that, that was last night. atop an atlas 5 rocket. that rocket was carrying the 7600-pounding tdrs spacecraft. the satellite will act adds an orbiting switchboard relaying voice communications and data between the international space station and mission control. it's kind of cool. 47 minutes past the hour. she was a honor student, a majorette who performed at president obama's inauguration. now she's a symbol of chicago's crisis of gun violence. her father and her godfather are joining us coming up. [ female announcer ] switch to swiffer sweeper,

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welcome back. 51 minutes past the hour. we've heard a lot about the murder rate in chicago. last year's murders in the windy city topped the u.s. death toll in afghanistan. now this incredibly tragic story. hadiya pendleton, a 15-year-old honor student who performed at president obama's inauguration, she became the 42nd person killed this month in the president's hometown. ironically hadiya can be seen in this 2008 youtube video warning students about gun violence. >> hi, my name is hadiya. this commercial is informational

for you and your future children. so many children out there in gangs, it is your job to say no to gangs and yes to a great future. >> police believe hadiya was the unintended target of a gang shooting. her murder made this chicago's deadliest january in a decade and her death has struck a chord in chicago and washington and all over. joining us from chicago are her father, nathaniel pendleton and her godfather, dammon stewart. thank you for joining us this morning. we are very, very sorry for your loss as well. i want to talk about hadiya because it seems she was a remarkable student. she was a majorette and last weekend she was in washington, d.c., performing at the inauguration. mr. pendleton, could you tell me what that experience was like for your daughter? >> it was one of the greatest things that she -- she was so excited. she was really excited to just -- to meet the president

and to be there, a part of the inauguration. she had been talking about it way before the inauguration, way before the election. she said, dad, if barack obama ends up back being the president again, our school is going. i really want to go. she was really excited about it. >> i understand she had several trips that were planned overseas as well with her school in order to continue performing. >> yes. >> mr. stewart, you have an interesting perspective here because you are a lawyer, a chicago police officer as well. what is your understanding of what happened on the day of the murder? >> sad set of circumstances. it's my understanding that she left school with her friends from the volleyball team, a bunch of good children. went to a local park in a nice

neighborhood, nice homes, ideal neighborhood where people in the city would like to stay, and because of one individual was on the scene or came to talk to these young ladies who probably had a checkered past or had some issues, somebody came and attempted to try to shoot maybe this individual and ended up taking hadiya. >> was she trying to flee when she was shot in the back? >> yes. >> it is our understanding that the guy -- the way he approached everybody seeing this guy coming with the gun so everyone tried to get away. >> and this is the hyde park kenwood neighborhood, not too far from the obamas' home. is this a neighborhood that is infested with gangs and violence? do you typically see this in this neighborhood? >> actually until a year ago i lived around the block. no, this is an ideal neighborhood where this happened. but just like most cities, and i

would imagine most major metropolitan cities, you have your little niche neighborhoods. if you go too far, you know, maybe a mile to the left, a mile south, a mile east, you can run into the bad neighborhoods. but where this happened at was an ideal community. this is a place where a lot of people from the south side would like to live. >> well, president obama has actually weighed in on this. he was asked yesterday in an interview with univision about how hadiya's case relates to the gun control issue. this was his response. well, the problem is that a huge portion of those guns come in from outside chicago. i mean what is absolutely true is that if you are just creating a bunch of pockets of gun laws without having a unified, integrated system, for example, of back grounding checks, then you know it's going to be a lot harder for an individual community, a single community to protect itself from this kind of gun violence. this is precisely why we think it's important for congress to act. gentlemen, i want you to both weigh in on this. do you think that hadiya's death now should be involved in this

bigger issue of gun violence across the country? >> me personally, absolutely. >> yes. definitely. >> if i may, anthony, when we talked about this as a family, we recognized the implications of hadiya's death in this debate. and one of the things that -- it's already our view on it. one, we believe that this debate -- it should be a multi-faceted approach. it shouldn't be a democratic approach or a republican approach, it should be multi-faceted. gun laws should be created in a way that's going to make it harder for the bad guys to get guns and easier for the law-abiding citizens that want to have them. >> i sincerely appreciate your time this morning. we're taking a look at some beautiful pictures of this young woman so we can remember her that way.

i really appreciate your time. again, we are very, very sorry for your loss. we're going to take a quick break and we'll be right back. ♪ (train horn) vo: wherever our trains go, the economy comes to life. norfolk southern. one line, infinite possibilities. meet the 5-passenger ford c-max hybrid. when you're carrying a lot of weight, c-max has a nice little trait, you see, c-max helps you load your freight, with its foot-activated lift gate.

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